


Hypothesizzle

by s_fizz



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)
Genre: M/M, emphasis on The Glasses, light & fluffy meet cute, ribbon lightning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:53:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27623657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_fizz/pseuds/s_fizz
Summary: Running errands for Teysa Karlov was not a fun time. Running errands for Teysa Karlov in the pouring rain was 100 times worse. Bumping into a shockingly handsome scientist in the process? Well, maybe Tomik could forgive the errands. Just this once.
Relationships: Tomik Vrona/Ral Zarek
Comments: 16
Kudos: 20





	1. Syndicate Messenger

**Author's Note:**

> first MTG fic, first fic on AO3! :) 
> 
> As soon as i read about Ral and Tomik I knew I wanted to write about them meeting. I could feel it in my bones. the glasses compelled me. enjoy!

_Teysa is going to owe me big time for this._ Tomik thought, sweeping along the streets of Ravnica. He needed to hurry- at any moment the clouds swirling overhead were threatening to dump rain on him, and he had to get these reports delivered.

As he approached Nivix, he felt mild apprehension swirl in his chest. He’d only been inside once before, and that little excursion had almost introduced him to life as a spirit well before he was ready.The building was still about a block away when the sky opened up, dark rainclouds dumping a sheet of rain down over the city streets.

“Dammit, Teysa,” the harried advokist mumbled under his breath, picking up the pace. The rain had no mercy, however, and by the time Tomik reached the doors of Nivix it was coming down in torrents, soaking his clothes. He was thankful that his boss had the foresight to place the documents inside a plastic folder before sending him off. _I just wish she reminded me to bring my jacket._

His glasses were foggy and covered in water droplets, and his drenched cloak weighed down his steps. In his mad scramble for the safety the building offered, he almost didn’t notice the man coming out of the door. Of course, by the time he had noticed, it was too late.

Evidently the man was also lost in thought, as he made no sign that he noticed the advokist until they collided. Tomik’s papers went flying out of the folder, as he tripped, feeling himself fall in what felt like slow motion. His glasses, wet with the rain, slid off of his nose. He fumbled blindly for the frames.

 _Is- is it still raining?_ He wondered mildly, suddenly aware that the downpour had- if only temporarily- seized. Suddenly there was a hand in front of his face, offering to help him up.

“Sorry about that, I didn’t see you there.” The man apologized.

Tomik gratefully accepted the hand up, but the moment their fingers met he was greeted with a small static shock.

“Thanks,” Tomik said, offering the man a weak smile as he stood. “Do you see my glasses anywhere?”

“Are these it?” The man asked a second later, holding the wire frames up for Tomik to see.

“Yes, thank you-“ he answered, reaching for them. “I’m quite blind without them, actually,“ Tomik slid the frames back onto his face, blinking as the man across from him came into view.

“They look a bit crooked,” the man frowned.

Tomik didn’t hear the rest of the sentence. The man across from him was dangerously handsome. His hair almost seemed to float above his head, dark black with white streaks shot through it at random. He was exceedingly well dressed for an Izzet scientist, and his pale green eyes met Tomik’s as whatever question he had just asked hung unanswered in the air between them.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.” Tomik said politely, offering the man his most charming smile.

“I asked if your glasses are broken.” The man repeated, at a much slower pace, quirking an eyebrow.

“Oh, I think they’re fine- Uh, I just need to-“ Tomik took the frames off his face, quickly examining the way the wires were contorted. “One of the screws is always coming loose.” He explained, scrunching up his nose in frustration as he tried to wriggle the screw in tighter with his fingers.

He was suddenly aware that it had not stopped raining- the rain was simply bending around the two of them. A fact which removed absolutely any doubts Tomik had about the identity of the man he had just run over. This was Ral Zarek, powerful guildmage, one of Niv-Mizzet’s favored researchers, and newly appointed Izzet Viceroy. Also probably one of the most attractive people Tomik had ever seen.

 _He’s probably a colossal prick_ , the advokist reminded himself sharply, feeling his cheeks flush red at his own dangerous thoughts.

“If you have a moment, I’m sure there’s a screwdriver somewhere in Nivix that can fix those.” The scientist flashed Tomik to a blinding smile, and for a second, he forgot how to breathe.

_What’s the polite thing to say?_

“Uh-" A moment's hesitation as his brain scrambled. "That would wonderful, thank you."

The advokist willed himself to maintain a neutral expression in spite of his embarrassment. Zarek didn't seem to notice, simply nodding and turning to head back into the building.

As the pair wound their way through the twisting maze of laboratories, Tomik took stock of his wet papers.

 _Half of these are ruined_ , he lamented bitterly to himself. _I’ll have to send a courier over with fresh copies_. _Or come back myself._

He tried his best to keep up with the Viceroy, who was making his way through the building with practiced ease. They were on the hunt for a tiny screwdriver, Zarek explained, remarking that he _thought_ he had loaned it to a goblin on the third floor. 

The inner workings of the Izzet headquarters were alive and bustling with activity. The floor they were on was an open lab, which was full of half built machines, elaborate diagrams hung up on the walls, and large boards covered in equations. Crews of the brightest minds in the guild were milling around, chattering noisily as they worked.

“Watch your step!” Zarek warned, as Tomik nearly tripped over a cluster of wires running from a small, boxy machine into a large vehicle of some kind.

“This whole place is an accident waiting to happen,” Tomik mumbled, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He could spot at least three different violations of the building code occurring simultaneously, and it took almost all of his willpower not to point them out. 

“Maybe you’re just accident-prone.” Zarek offered, deadpan. “No worries, I’ll make sure you get out of here in at least two pieces.”

Tomik huffed. He wasn’t quite sure what had compelled him to take the Viceroy up on his offer, but he was beginning to regret it.

“Maybe I’m just not used to being in a building where ‘fire hazard’ is the main choice of decoration,” Tomik shot back, ducking beneath a swinging piece of metal just quickly enough to prevent it from removing his head.

The scientist actually laughed at this, and Tomik felt a flash of irritation at how lovely the sound was. The advokist had seen the Viceroy at a distance before, and had heard several rumors about the man's impressive rise to power within his guild. But, of course, Tomik had never heard any rumors about how his eyes were a fascinating shade of pale green, or about how his smile could make someone’s breath catch in their chest, or that he was surprisingly kind and helpful, especially for an Izzet jerkmage-

“Here we are,” Zarek said, stopping in front of an office door. He stepped into the room without knocking, reappearing with a miniscule screwdriver in his hand.

Tomik passed over his glasses, almost regretting that he wasn’t going to be able to enjoy the sight of the other man fixing them.

“There we go. Right as rain.”

Tomik gratefully accepted the repaired frames, sliding them back onto his face.

“Thank you so much for your help, Viceroy Zarek.”

The scientist grinned at him. “Hey, it’s the least I can do after running you over,” he smirked. “Also, it’s not everyday that I get to have a cute advokist _literally_ fall for me.” He paired the statement with a cheeky wink, and Tomik was almost certain that his heart was about to beat right out of his chest.

“I need to deliver what’s left of these reports.” the advokist said pragmatically, forcing himself to stay calm. He hoped that Zarek wouldn’t notice the blush steadily creeping across his cheeks. “I don’t have a name for them, Teysa was going over a million other things and she threw them at me last minute. They had an office number written somewhere-“ He frantically flicked through the few remaining pages that were legible, grateful for the excuse to look away from the Viceroy's piercing gaze. 

“About that- I think they’re mine.” The scientist held out a hand.

Tomik was somehow not surprised. “Of course they are. And you couldn’t have mentioned this far earlier? Before you made me carry them all over the building for you?” _He **is** just another cocky scientist. _

Zarek shrugged, at least having the decency to offer him a sheepish smile. Tomik thrust the dry papers out towards him, mentally listing which documents had been damaged.

“Someone will bring you copies of the rest tomorrow.”

“Do you want me to walk you back out?” Zarek offered, taking the papers from Tomik.

“I’ll find my own way, thank you.” The advokist said, hoping to get out of there before he made himself look even more like a fool. Nivix was a maze, but it would be better than spending another minute under the scientist's scrutiny. Heaven knows what other terrible pick up lines might come out of the other man's mouth if he didn't flee while he still could.

“Suit yourself,” Ral shrugged, and Tomik swore he could feel the man’s eyes on him as he turned on his heel and strode down the hall the way he had come in.

~~~

Ral ran over the numbers again. He hadn’t gotten much sleep over the last few days. He had been finalizing approvals for a few assorted projects in the Warmind Initiative, a mad scramble of crazy ideas to create new weapons for the Boros Legion. The goblins on the team had taken to the project like fish in water, and he had a hefty stack to get through. After that, he had to meet with three other project teams, and then he had to run to Mizzix and speak to the head of production about the new systems to improve throughput. Finally, when all that was done, he would have to crack down on his latest project, for Niv himself. The dragon was demanding a new system of security wards to protect his aerie. He’d started a new project, called "The Interlocus”, and was intensely paranoid about protecting his results.

The whole thing was irritating- Ral had basically been running the Izzet on Niv’s behalf since the dragon had taken up his experiment. He was still doing all of Niv’s usual errands on top of that, and the final cherry on top was the fact that he was in no way, shape, or form a security mage, but the dragon still expected him to come up with state of the art protection for his roost. 

Ral felt power surge in the storm cracking outside as he scribbled down a new formula to double check the calculations noted on the blueprint. As lightning cracked outside his window, he found himself momentarily tempted by the idea of throwing his work to the side and running into the street just to stand in the rain, to feel the power of the storm flowing through him. He wondered if he could call down a bolt of lightning big enough to fry Niv Mizzet. Speaking purely hypothetically, of course. He was occasionally fond of the dragon.

“Mister Zarek?” A voice squawked from outside his office door, distracting him from his fantasy of sizzling the scales right off his boss.

“Yeah?”

“Someone is here to see you,” the goblin called. “He says he’s acting on the behalf of Mistress Teysa of the Orzhov Syndicate-”

The goblin was cut off as Ral flew out of his office.

“Thank you!” The scientist called back over his shoulder as he headed down the hallway. His chance meeting with Teysa’s clerk yesterday had been a high point in a long line of frustrations. Sure, he was just delivering some paperwork garbage, but Ral liked the way the man's face turned pink when he was flustered. _I’ve had a lot on my plate lately. I might as well enjoy the little distractions._

Weeks ago, when Teysa Karlov had had first sent Ral a gargoyle with a letter offering him the opportunity to send a team to renovate a cluster of buildings in Parha, he hadn't exactly been sure what to think. Construction projects were standard for the guild, of course, but he couldn't remember the last time anyone had approached him directly about one. After much consideration, he had cautiously agreed, knowing that she was pushing her agenda to make alliances in other guilds. It had come as a little shock when he realized she had approached him _because_ he was gaining considerable influence within the ranks of the Izzet, and she was trying to make connections. Helping the Syndicate was an excellent position to be in, he decided. Currying favor with Teysa could only benefit him down the line. And the cute messenger-boy running errands for her was an extremely pleasant bonus.

The messenger was standing by the door as Ral approached, fiddling with his glasses.

“Viceroy Zarek,” he greeted, and Ral noticed he was wearing a rain coat today. He smiled politely, and Ral felt a little spark come to life somewhere in his chest. _Why does he have to be so damn good-looking?_

“Here are your other documents.”

The writing on the thin stack of papers barely registered as Ral flicked through them. _Trash, trash, trash, trash- just like the other ones._ Ral took pride in having a very effective filing system.

“Thank you, again, for helping me with my glasses yesterday,” the man was saying, and Ral’s gaze snapped back to him.

“Well, I figured you might need them help you see better.” Ral smirked, studying the face behind the golden frames. “Although you certainly don’t need them to look good.” 

The advokist was very difficult to read. His expression stayed completely neutral. The only giveaway was a faint blush tinging his cheeks.

“I appreciate the help, Viceroy.” The corner of his mouth quirked up. Was he suppressing a smile? “I had better get back to Orzhova.”

He dipped his head to Ral in farewell and turned around to leave. The scientist opened his mouth to say something else- anything else- to ask him if he wanted to grab coffee, or get a drink, or make out in Ral’s office- but the advokist was gone.

“Krokt...” Ral muttered, a little frustrated with himself. _It’s probably a bad idea anyway_. But he couldn't help hoping that the messenger would bring him more frivolous paperwork before his dealings with Teysa were over. 


	2. Direct Current

Meetings were the bane of Ral’s existence. He had been in some tight spots before, but he would rather be reliving the worst moments of his life than sitting through another goddamn meeting. He was basically dragging himself to New Prahv, feeling particularly gloomy in the sunny weather.

As far as meetings went, the Azorius were the worst. Ral felt a heavy sigh leave his chest as he slipped in through the door, finding a seat at the round table. He was, of course, running slightly ahead of schedule, and he picked the seat closest to the door. Only the Azorius representatives were there, and they gave him a polite nod of greeting and then pursued no further conversation.

This was primarily meant to be a meeting between the Izzet league and the Boros Legion. The other guilds had been invited to send representatives as a courtesy, but the focus of the meeting was based on security technology being developed for use by Boros enforcers.

Other representatives filed in- Tajic and another lieutenant from the Boros league, a couple of scaly humanoids draped in the rich purple of the Simic Guild, and an elven woman in a silk robe. Chamberlain Maree almost escaped Ral’s notice, slipping in behind the elf. She croaked a half-assed greeting at her coworker before taking a seat on the other end of the table.

 _Rude,_ Ral scowled to himself. _She could’ve sat with me_. He didn’t know anyone else who was present. 

He passed a lightning bolt between his fingers, already bored out of his mind.

Just when he had given up any hope the meeting being anything close to interesting, a flash of white in the doorway caught his eye.

“I didn’t realize Orzhov was actually sending a representative,” one of the Azorious bureaucrats snorted, and the man who had just entered the room looked quite flustered.

“Ah, yes. I’m here on behalf of Teysa Karlov. She sends her regrets that she is unable to attend herself.” The man smiled graciously and strode over to the only available chair, which happened to be directly in front of Ral.

He was tall, draped in the flowing, white uniform of an Advokist. Across his collar in gold was the symbol of Orzhova, and a worn leather satchel hung over his shoulder. Wire rimmed glasses magnified a pair of tired hazel eyes, and the man pushed them on up his nose, looking fidgety.

_Krokt, it’s the glasses guy._

Ral hadn’t seen him since the incident in front of Nivix the week before. Teysa had been sending all his paperwork over via messenger gargoyle, and Ral had damn near forgotten about the handsome secretary.

The man caught the scientists eye and his face turned pink. He looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it, instead turning to pull a pen and a scroll from his satchel.

_What did he say his name was? Thomas? Tamrik?_

_“_ I’m glad you’re taking notes, I hear there’s going to be a pop-quiz later.” Ral joked, resting his chin in one hand.

 _Tomik. His name is Tomik_.

Tomik smiled, and Ral felt something inside him tighten. _Krokt, that smile is nice_.

He was so distracted he almost didn’t realize that one of the Vedalkens from the Senate was speaking.

“...and that is why we feel that inter-guild cooperation is crucial for this aspect of the project. Viceroy Zarek, would you like to read us a summary before we move onto motions to expand it?”

Ral blinked. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

He rose to his feet, fumbling for the words, his brain short circuiting. He’d been prepared for this. He had notes. And public speaking had never particularly been challenging for him, so what the hell was his issue today?

It took him a few seconds to diagnose the problem: a very handsome man with warm hazel eyes assessing him from across the table. The man’s rapt attention in combination with the constant scratch of his pen gave Ral the distinct impression that every word he said was being judged and dissected. He forgot numbers and stumbled over his words, at one point having to pause for half a second to recalculate an estimate in his head because he was too flustered to read his own handwriting.

Finally, miraculously, after what felt like six consecutive eternities shoved next to each other, he completed his summary. Dropping back into his seat, he nervously ran a hand through his hair, sending a crackle of electricity into the strands. To his immense relief, and minor disappointment- the advokist now appeared to be paying him no mind, already scribbling down the next topic on the agenda.

The next three hours were agony. Tomik sat just a few feet away from him, diligently taking notes, ignoring Ral with deliberate effort. At least, it seemed deliberate. Ral wasn’t exactly an expert on human behavior, but he would’ve expected them to accidentally lock eyes at least once. Anything to give him the chance to attract the man’s attention again.

Occasionally Tomik interjected an observation into the conversation, coming up with points of contention that kept the other guilds on their toes. He fidgeted with his glasses frequently, wiping them on his shirt, when he was thinking and pushing them up his nose when he was about to speak, and all that Ral’s traitorous mind could think about was how nice the wire rimmed frames would look if they were being placed neatly on a bedside table.

At one point, the advokist caught Ral staring. He looked startled, his chest hitching as he sucked in a breath. A flush crept across his cheeks. His mouth twitched slightly and he quickly averted his gaze, going back to his scroll.

Ral didn’t look away, a grin creeping across his face while he tapped his fingers against his cheek. The advokist bit his lip in forced concentration as he focused on scribbling down something that Tajic was saying.

“Would that be agreeable to the Izzet representatives in attendance?” Tajic asked, and Ral blanked.

“Oh, yeah. Sounds great.”

He had no idea what he just agreed to, but the consensus seemed pleased, save for Maree, who was glaring maliciously at him. Oh well. He caught Tomik stifling a laugh at his expense, and he gave the advokist a rueful grin.

It wasn’t Ral’s fault he couldn’t pay any attention to the damn meeting.

By the time the affair was over, Ral was thoroughly taken with the man sitting across from him. As the other representives trickled out, Tomik packed up his notes carefully, biting on his lower lip as though lost in thought. He turned to look at Ral, opening his mouth to speak, but the scientist cut him off.

“Are you, by any chance, interested in pursuing further collaboration between our guilds?” Ral asked, keeping his voice low.

Tomik’s face flushed as he considered the meaning of Ral’s words, although he didn’t seem to be surprised.

“Well, Mistress Karlov seems to think that pursuing inter-guild alliances should be my number one priority.” He rubbed the back of his neck, the beautiful smile reappearing on his face. “So I guess I can’t really say no.”

Ral let out the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.

“Great,” he said. ”I know a place where we can grab coffee to...discuss the possibility.”

.“When would you like to approach this meeting?” The advokist asked politely, adjusting those damn glasses.

Ral considered this for a second. He was half afraid that if he didn’t act soon then he’d never see Tomik again. And to be fair, it wasn’t like he had anything particularly important planned for the rest of the day. Nothing that Maree couldn’t handle, anyway.

“Can we just go now?” he suggested, a little startled by how direct he was being. Ah, well, patience had never been his strong suit.

Tomik looked startled as well, but not at all upset, flashing another smile.

“I’ll clear my schedule.”

**Author's Note:**

> constructive criticism, boos from the audience, ordinary run of the mill hecklers- you're all welcome in my comments section. i thrive on feedback. :)
> 
> also you can follow me on tumblr for ral/tomik and general mtg shitposting! [@susanfitzgrove](https://susanfitzgrove.tumblr.com/)


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